High school girls get head start on careers in manufacturing

Glencoe High School's McKenna McClellan has always liked working with cars. This year though, she was the only female in her class at vocational school in Etowah County.

She said it took some time to convince others that she could do something her classmates considered a "man's job."

"It just motivated me to go to work at the 'big boys manufacturing plant,'" she said, and next year, McClellan will begin a co-op at Honda in Lincoln.

Her story was like others at Girls Employed in Manufacturing (GEM) Day, an event at Gadsden State Community College's Bevill Center, sponsored by the Alabama Technology Network. The event brought together more than 25 female students from schools in northeast Alabama for a day of examining job opportunities awaiting women in industry.

Women comprise about a third of the manufacturing workforce, even though they are nearly half of the country's total labor force, according to a 2015 study. The purpose of GEM Day is to change perceptions and get students thinking about employment and career opportunities once they graduate from high school.

Students who took part toured a nearby business, had a "role models" luncheon and even got a small taste of an assembly line. Just a simple exercise in fitting tubes together illustrated the need for precision work, conducted quickly and efficiently.

Nichole Regner, another Glencoe High student, said she was interested in a career in precision manufacturing. Seeing the possibilities was exciting, she said.

"I feel like I can work better than some of the guys out there," she said.

Jon Bowen, one of the speakers, was very clear with the participants.

"You can go as far as you want to go," he said. "There are industries that can't wait to see what you can do."